TBM Staff - Mumbai India is currently participating in an international tourism trade fair in Madrid to help expedite the recovery of the country’s inbound tourism to the pre-pandemic levels, officials said on Thursday.
Feria Internacional del Turismo or FITUR is being hosted in Spain from January 18-22.
The Ministry of Tourism is participating in FITUR, which is one of the world’s largest international travel exhibitions. India’s participation in it is “significant to step up the recovery of inbound tourism to pre-pandemic levels”, the ministry said in a statement. The ministry has taken a space of 253 sqm, with over 30 participants co-exhibiting with the India Pavilion to participate in the exhibition, it said.
The India Pavilion was graced by the King and Queen of Spain, and was formally inaugurated by Dinesh K Patnaik, Indian Ambassador to Spain; Mohammed Riyas, Minister of Tourism, Kerala; and Rakesh Kumar Verma, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, government of India, the statement said.
The inauguration of the Pavilion was followed by Indian cultural performances and some yoga sessions, it said.
After the inauguration, the Indian delegation and participants went around the India Pavilion and booths of various participating states and tour operators. During the day, the Incredible India organised various culture performances, yoga sessions, mehndi and Bollywood dance performances, the Ministry said.
The Indian delegation led by Verma, the Additional Secretary in the Ministry, participated in key business meetings with senior leadership from Melia Hotels International, Palladium Hotel Group, Expedia Group, World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Cushman & Wakefield, and the Indo-Spanish Chambers of Commerce, the statement said.
These meetings facilitated by the dedicated Industry Development & Investment Promotion (IDIP) Division at the Ministry of Tourism, had discussions around investment opportunities in the Indian tourism and hospitality sector.
The leadership from these organizations were also formally invited to participate in the first Global Tourism Investors’ Summit being organised by the Ministry of Tourism from April 10-12 in New Delhi under the aegis of India’s G20 Presidency, it added. (Source: PTI)
